LITTLE ROCK — DEAR READERS: I'll bet on your pantry shelf right now there are cans of food that have been sitting there for quite a while, but how do you know if you've kept them a little too long? Here are some helpful guidelines:
Canned goods should be kept in a dry, cool room with a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Never store canned goods near steam pipes, furnaces, kitchen ranges or in the garage, because extreme temperatures will have a negative effect on their quality.
Acidic foods, like canned tomatoes and fruits, are safe to store for 18 months.
Nonacidic canned foods are safe for two to three years, with some vegetables - like potatoes - keeping as long as five years.
If you see rust, discoloration or bulges on a can, bacteria may have gotten inside. So throw it out! Better safe than sorry.
DEAR HELOISE: Our local club has a chicken-pie supper once a month. I make the pie crust for these pies and use shortening that comes in a can. Instead of throwing the containers away, I wash them, and when I have cookies, etc., to give away, I use these containers. It's so easy to forget to whom our special dishes were lent, so now I don't worry about getting them back.
Also, the pizza pans that look ugly after much use are good to put under pies in the oven.
- Arlene Gervais, Pittston, Maine
DEAR HELOISE: When preparing food that requires baking in the oven, delay turning on the heat until preparation is finished instead of turning it on before. I tried it - it was ready in 10 minutes, and my cake was ready for the oven.
Previously, the oven was on for 30 minutes before I was ready. Such a waste of energy in a time when we are being urged to conserve!
- Anita Londgren, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Family, Pages 39 on 10/24/2007